Connecticut Sports Betting

Connecticut Sports Betting

Connecticut might be one of the smaller states in North America, but that does not mean that there is not plenty happening here in terms of sports betting and other forms of wagering. Many of the states of New England were quick to legalize this type of wagering. Though Connecticut sports betting did not take off until 2021, the state has quickly ensured that there are several places to play. There is a choice of three mobile apps, and plenty of options for brick-and-mortar sportsbooks plus the potential for more to open later down the line.

The compacts were redrawn between the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, allowing them to offer sports wagering Other options are also available through the state lottery. Though this has kept the betting scene fairly close-knit compared to other states, this is also a move that works here. Connecticut is the third smallest state by area. Though it is highly populated for its size, there is no need to flood the market with betting options. The systems that have been set up thus far are the perfect size for the state, and there are plenty of opportunities for things to grow further in the future if they wish.

With such close proximity to the growing gambling hubs in the states of New York and New Jersey, the Constitution State has done well to create its own sports gambling market with plenty of offers to prevent residents from having to cross state borders. From here, they are in the perfect position to continue to grow and offer something new to bettors.

Best Connecticut Sportsbook Sites

FanDuel Online Casino & Sportsbook

Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment and FanDuel Casino have entered into a partnership. Mohegan Sun Casino is owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe, which is involved in sports betting. The FanDuel sportsbook has quickly become one of the most well-known and convenient betting operations in the United States.

They also hold the title of being the most powerful provider of daily fantasy sports. FanDuel Connecticut offers a wide variety of promotions, and the operator, which is owned by Flutter Entertainment, is the undisputed leader in sports betting in New Jersey, which is the most prominent online sports betting state in the United States.

DraftKings Sportsbook Connecticut

DraftKings Casino is another top-rated casino app, and it is currently also available in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In these states, it has received praise for its one-of-a-kind bonus offerings and an impressive selection of exclusive DraftKings Casino Games.

SugarHouse Connecticut

Rush Street Interactive, which was chosen as a partner by the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, decided to use the SugarHouse brand rather than the BetRivers brand, which is used throughout the rest of the country. This decision was made because the SugarHouse brand is used in New Jersey, which is likely why Connecticut bettors are more familiar with it. The SugarHouse Connecticut app provides users with access to a substantial number of betting markets and a comprehensive in-play betting menu.

Legal Online Connecticut Sports Betting

Connecticut sports betting was first legalized in July 2021, but it was several months later before we saw offers and odds launching across the state. In-person betting was launched in September of 2021, with the online sports betting launch following a couple of weeks later in October.

There are currently three online sportsbook options available for those who want to see what legal online betting has in this odd. Two of these online gambling operators are DraftKings and FanDuel. They are some of the biggest sports betting operators active in the USA and are present in pretty much all of the states that have legalized sports betting just now. They have each partnered with one of the tribes who are permitted to offer legal Connecticut sports betting – DraftKings with the Mashantucket Pequot tribe and FanDuel with the Mohegan tribe. This allows them to offer odds through their apps and through retail locations within the tribes’ casinos.

The third sportsbook is operated by Sugarhouse via the Connecticut state lottery. This was one skin that was hotly contested when sports betting went live in this state. The CT lottery announced that 15 sportsbooks had placed applications for the skin, but it was SugarHouse, part of Rush Street Interactive, who won the final contract.

For now, anyone who wishes to place bets in Connecticut can do so online through one of these three brands. We might see new licenses being granted in the future, but these three are all great choices and offer a competitive market to a state of this size.

How To Pick An Connecticut Sports Betting Site

Players in Connecticut must be aged at least 21 to use the Connecticut sports betting sites. As with many other states, these online sportsbooks also use geofencing technologies. This means bettors have to be located within state borders to be able to use the apps. With fierce competition coming from the New York and New Jersey betting markets, this is a good way to ensure that revenue can be driven towards the brands present in Connecticut instead.

There are, ultimately, just three brands to choose from in the Constitution State. With all of them offering similar coverage for games and odds, it might come down to personal preference when trying to find the right site. Someone searching for the best Connecticut sports betting should take a look at what each of the apps has to offer. Important features like odds and promotions could help to inform a final decision – whatever it might be. As more brands launch in this state, we might see the market opening up more too.

Bettors are not permitted to use e-wallets like PayPal or Neteller when placing sports wagers here. When gambling with a Connecticut sportsbook it must be done using credit or debit cards only.

History / Timeline of Sports Betting in Connecticut

Sports betting might have gradually arrived in Connecticut on its own if not for one law. In 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was federally enacted. This prohibited sports betting from being launched in any state except for those that had some sort of provision already in place. This came down to four – Nevada as it already had a popular sports betting market, and Montana, Oregon, and Delaware, as they all ran sports lotteries. No other states were permitted to launch sports betting.

In 2018, this law was overturned by the Supreme Court as it was deemed unconstitutional. This allowed states to take the matter of sports betting into their own hands and we began to see the gradual introduction of this type of betting across the USA.

The steps to legal Connecticut sports betting actually began in 2017. Many states passed legislation that would form a framework for regulation should sports betting become legal again, and Connecticut was one of them. In 2019, the state government in the Constitution State began to debate the terms of this legalization. However, the question of the exclusivity of sports betting for the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes stalled the legalization of this bill for quite some time.

It wasn’t until May of 2021 that a satisfactory bill was reached. This bill, HB 6451, was then signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont. The US Department of the Interior then approved the changes to the compacts with the tribes, allowing sports betting to launch later that year.

Connecticut Sports Teams

Though Connecticut does not have any major sports franchises, there are several nearby and minor teams throughout the state who all receive plenty of support.

The state is home to two teams in the American Hockey League. This is the minor league for the NHL, and the teams that play here are the Bridgeport Islanders and the Harford Wolf Pack. There are several other minor league teams for various sports. The Connecticut Sun is also a WNBA team that plays out of Uncasville.

There are a few major league franchises in nearby states. New York is obviously home to several major teams with the Buffalo Bills upstate and the New York Yankees in the city to name just two of the major teams here. Connecticut is also bordered by Massachusetts, home to major teams like the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Celtics.

Connecticut is also home to several other sporting events. Though not strictly a team event, there is a very popular PGA golf tournament called the Travelers Championship which takes place each year. Other popular sports like NASCAR and UFC can also be found hosting events here.

Of course, it would be impossible to talk about Connecticut sports betting without mentioning collegiate betting in some way. One of the major sports teams in this state is the Connecticut Huskies of the University of Connecticut. They have teams in the NCAA Division I, the highest level of collegiate sports in the USA. There is also a massive rivalry between Connecticut’s Ivy League college Yale University and Massachusetts’s Harvard. This culminates in “The Game”, the second-oldest college football rivalry in the USA.

There are a few restrictions in place that target collegiate sports betting in the Constitution State. Any game taking place outside of Connecticut with teams that are not from this state can be bet on freely according to the terms of the sportsbook itself. For in-state teams like the Huskies, only future bets can be placed for tournaments that have at least four teams in them.

Retail Sports Betting in Connecticut

Retail sports betting can be found in several places around the State of Connecticut. Two of the major sportsbooks are the ones tied to the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes. However, they are not the only places where one can find a legal retail sportsbook in this state.

Remember, the Connecticut lottery corp is also permitted to offer sports betting. Thanks to their deal with SugarHouse, retail betting is available through this brand across the state. They are permitted to open up to 15 brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and have so far opened five. As laid out in their contract, one of these sportsbooks is in Bridgeport and the other is in Hartford.

Tribal Casinos

Though there are five federally recognized tribes in Connecticut, only the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes have compacts that allow them to set up casinos and operate sports betting. Unless the other tribes wish to apply for their own compacts, it is likely that these will be the only tribal sportsbooks in Connecticut.

The Mashantucket Pequot tribe owns and operates the Foxwoods Resort and Casino on their reservation in Ledyard. This is a full casino and resort complex offering a hotel, 250 gaming tables, and over 5,500 slot machines. The sportsbook here and its corresponding app are both run by DraftKings.

The other casino in this state is the Mohegan Sun, owned and operated by a tribe of the same name on their reservation in Uncasville. The casino floor is home to over 6,500 slot machines and 377 table games. The sportsbook and app are run by FanDuel.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports were legalized in the Constitution State in 2017. Though it took a little while to get confirmation from the tribes to allow this type of gaming, it has since been embraced. Part of this might be due to the fact that two of the major operators of daily fantasy sports within Connecticut and other states are DraftKings and FanDuel.

As they launched their sportsbooks and Connecticut sports betting opportunities, it only made sense that they would want to be able to freely offer daily fantasy sports too. These two companies have come to dominate the markets in these regards in plenty of other states, so it only made sense that they would want to offer both of their services as sports betting became legal.

FanDuel did have to take its app down for a little while in 2022. This was because their provisional license in the state had expired. Though they were able to offer free games, paid-for entry was halted until their app was brought up to the standards expected by the state government. They have since made the changes and relaunched paid-for fantasy contests here.

Offshore Sports Betting

Offshore wagering is always an option available to those who find the Connecticut sports betting options a little thin on the ground. However, it is important to select the right site if a bettor does decide that they wish to try this type of betting.

Firstly, all unregulated sites should be avoided. They will not be affiliated with any of the major regulators. This means that they are free to offer any deals that they want, and many times the sites can actually prove to be fraudulent. Playing at them will only result in money being lost, and there will be no regulatory body to turn to if you wish to get your funds back.

If you do wish to bet through offshore sites, it is vital that they are regulated by companies based in locations such as Costa Rica or CuraƧao. These are recognized on an international level, and it makes the sites safe and properly regulated for all.

However, with the legal sports betting scene on the rise, there is actually very little reason as to why you might choose an offshore site. Both FanDuel and DraftKings are massive brands. Whether you wish to visit their sportsbooks in person or just use their apps, you will find many odds and offers waiting for you. You could also choose to use one of SugarHouse’s physical sportsbooks or their app. Players in Connecticut are very much not limited when it comes to brands and offers, so offshore sports betting should only really be considered if there is truly nothing to suit them.

Connecticut Horse Racing & Off-Track Betting

There are no horse racing tracks in operation in the state of Connecticut at the present time. Though horse racing has been a popular sport here for years, there are currently no racetracks available to head to.

However, there are 12 off-track betting parlors that do offer simulcasts for harness and thoroughbred horse racing and greyhound racing. Some off-track parlors also offer streams of jai alai too.

Bettors can place wagers through one of these off-track betting parlors, or at the sportsbooks at the Foxwoods Resort Casino or Mohegan Sun. In addition to placing bets through the apps for DraftKings, FanDuel, and SugarHouse, there are a few other options. There are several out-of-state apps such as TwinSpires and TVG that will offer competitive odds for horse racing alone. Though we have since seen an expansion of sports betting across many states, we are unlikely to see these apps offer anything other than off-track betting.

Final Thoughts / Summary

It is clear that Connecticut intends to keep its sports betting under firm control. They have established a good compact with two of the major tribes here, and the deal that they have to split apps and sportsbooks between the tribe-owned casinos and the state lottery is a good one.

What we could see in the future is another of the state’s casinos applying for a gaming compact to potentially set up a casino to rival that of the Mohegan or Mashantucket Pequot tribes. This is where more competition is likely to come from rather than a commercial casino moving in and setting up.

The other option we could see is one of these existing casinos applying to open a second resort and sportsbook. They are already located fairly close together, and a shift with a second sportsbook and casino could cause a great deal of competition between the two in the Constitution State.

As for what the state itself is up to, they still have plenty of retail sportsbooks still to open. It is important to remember that Connecticut is one of the smaller states by area and they have no major league franchises in the state, other than the Connecticut Sun. For this reason, there is no need to flood the market with options in the same way that we are seeing in neighboring New York, or even across the map in places like Nevada.

Connecticut sports betting is in a fantastic place as it currently stands. If it wishes to grow even further in the future, this will be something that can definitely be achieved. However, for now, it is definitely at a good size to be able to support the betting needs of its citizens.

joe profile pic

About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of Casinos, Slots, Bingo & Sports Betting than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.